THEIR arrival in the picturesque village of Kidlington in Oxfordshire sparked a Facebook debate that went viral.

Hundreds of avid Chinese tourists pouring down the quaint streets, into people's driveways and even peeking through their windows sparked a curtain twitching phenomenon that prompted a village-wide desire for answers.

But now the mystery of why flocks of inquisitive visitors descended on Kidlington has finally been solved and the truth is stranger than fiction.

It has finally been revealed the tourists were not filming a sequel to Invasion of the Bodysnatchers or searching for the world famous Privet Drive made popular by Harry Potter; they were instead attempting to get “the true sense” of the UK.

Coach loads of the tourists were spotted in Kidlington this summer.

They were photographed in groups, holding their cameras, looking in the windows of resident's homes and admiring their gardens without a care in the world.

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They always come on Thursdays because that’s when the bins go out. I have seen them taking photos of the dustbins.

Michael Parsons

But the bizarre phenomenon led locals to question why their enclave had suddenly swelled with an influx of inquiring sightseers.

The village, which has just 13,000 inhabitants, was so stunned by their new found admiration that they took to their Facebook pages to get to the bottom of the drama.

One person who thought the visitors were from Japan wrote: “Whose idea was it to turn Benmead Road into a tourist attraction?

“Coachloads of Japanese tourists with their usual multiple cameras seem to weekly be turning up in Benmead Road and proceed to pose for photos in people’s front gardens and against people’s cars parked in their drives.

“I must say I do find it hilarious but I am at a loss to understand it all.”

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Tourists are fascinated by the village of Kidlington in Oxfordshire is famous

Now resident Baz Daniels, who has lived in the village for 20 years, has come up trumps after doing some detective work.

He told the BBC: “Kidlington is apparently being marketed by Chinese tourist agencies as a beautiful English village on the way to Bicester Village shopping centre.

“Many of the visitors live in cities and love to see things like the hanging baskets and little flowers in people’s gardens.”

The town was first recorded in The Domesday Book in 1086 and was named Chedelintone.

It has 50 shops, banks and building societies, a public library, a large village hall, a weekly market and even its own brass band.

Michael Parsons, a retired electrician, says the most popular day for the visit is Thursday.

He revealed: “They always come on Thursdays because that’s when the bins go out. I have seen them taking photos of the dustbins.

“They tend to get a bit up close and personal to the houses, walking up to the windows and on the gardens.

“They also come up and film the roses. They were mostly taking photos of flowers. I have never seen tourists in the area before.”

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Every day life in England is interesting to people not used to it

He added: “I have no idea why they might be coming.”

Lindsey Axford said: “I have been working in the garden or hanging washing up and they come up and smile. If you interact, they ask for a photo but they don’t speak any English whatsoever.

“I’m in the garden quite a bit and it is strange but it is nice. They are very friendly and really interested in everything we are doing.

“I equate it to us going on holiday to Greece or somewhere and taking photos of all the pretty houses. It just seems a bit bizarre when you are in a middle class housing estate."